Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 232 The inherently evil golden imp!
[“The Northern Expedition may really be just a mistake…”]

After realizing this terrifying possibility, you panicked: the reason you advocated for the Northern Expedition was entirely to achieve great things, and the foundation for this greatness was that the enemy was completely mindless monsters.

[Because only when the enemy is an absolutely evil force will this Northern Expedition avoid causing unnecessary casualties... and only under such extreme opposition will the Northern Expedition have sufficient reason and justice!]

【Why did the Song Dynasty launch a Northern Expedition? 】

Because the Jin people wreaked havoc on the Central Plains, not only did they turn the north into a desolate land roaming with monsters, they also single-handedly caused the Jingkang Incident, which forced the Song Dynasty to move south... To avenge this humiliation and restore the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty launched a northern expedition!

[This is natural law and justice! ]

[But what if the North hadn't become a desolate land where monsters roamed rampant?]

[Based on current speculation, if the Jin and Song sides did not interfere with each other, the people in the north would still live normally. As long as the Song people did not interfere, both sides could enjoy peace!]

[In this way, the justice and necessity of the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition were invisibly weakened...]

[Song Dynasty, there is no need for a Northern Expedition...]

[Because if we don't march north, at most we'll lose half of our territory and won't be able to avenge the Jingkang Incident... But if we march north, we'll be causing undue suffering to the people of the north for our own selfish reasons!]

[Is the importance of the Song Dynasty's revenge more important than the lives of tens of millions of people in the north?]

[So once this possibility is established, the Northern Expedition will lose its greatest justice...]

【In an instant, your mind starts to get confused! 】

Looking back at those completely massacred Jin villages, you suddenly feel a chill down your spine, as if they are the silent accusations of the dead: they are crying out to you, they are questioning you… questioning why you instigated the Northern Expedition and disrupted everyone’s peaceful and tranquil lives…

"No! You can't jump to conclusions like that!"

Upon realizing this horrifying outcome, you shuddered and began to defend yourself, muttering to yourself, "The whole story hasn't been revealed yet, and I don't have enough evidence to confirm my suspicions... Perhaps I'm just worrying too much... Yeah! That must be the case!"

You muttered to yourself, trying your best to deny all these negative assumptions and make the "truth" closer to your side... But even so, you still couldn't let it go for a long time. Your original ambition to achieve great things had faded a lot, and it became shaky, just missing the last straw that broke the camel's back...

【…】

[The Northern Expedition continues.]

Because there were numerous Jin villages along the way, the army had to target specific locations for massacres as they advanced. Otherwise, these Jin people could pose a significant threat to the troops behind them. Therefore, for the army's absolute safety, the Northern Expedition progressed at an extremely slow pace.

From small and medium-sized villages of a few hundred people to fortified towns of over a thousand, the five armies successively annihilated them... Although they encountered many problems during the actual combat, such as the army's long absence from battle, the Jin people's monstrous behavior that caught the soldiers off guard, and insufficient village inspections, resulting in some villages suddenly attacking the Song army as the army advanced... these casualties, at most, resulted in nearly a thousand casualties, a minor inconvenience.

[In contrast, at least hundreds of Jin villages were massacred, and the Song army beheaded nearly ten thousand people!]

Such a great military achievement inspired the army: It seems that the Northern Expedition is not as difficult as imagined. With only a thousand casualties, they chopped off tens of thousands of Jin soldiers. This military achievement is simply amazing...

[It was during this moment of great excitement that the Northern Expedition Army finally reached the first county town on this journey: Xinye County!]

From afar, Xinye City is densely populated and fortified, just like a county town in the Song Dynasty... If it weren't for the fact that everyone knows the Jin people are mutated monsters, one wouldn't really distinguish this city from the cities of the Great Song Dynasty.

Even though everyone knew about this, some people still hesitated: "These Jin people seem to be no different from our Song Dynasty. If we kill our way here, isn't it a bit..."

"I think so too... those Jin people were normal people before they met us. They didn't do anything bad, they just lived their lives normally... Maybe if we don't actively disturb them, we can live in peace..."

[“Hmm…”] [Faced with this hesitant and negative rhetoric within the military, many officers, following their superiors’ instructions, comforted their subordinates.]

"Alas! Everyone, don't be fooled by the Jin people's pretense! They're all fake, just a despicable disguise!"

Officer A said solemnly, "The people of the North have long since died out. Only a bunch of mutated zombies remain, mindlessly repeating their past actions... They lack human intelligence. Why should we insist on treating them like humans? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

"Everyone must always remember... Anyone can feel anger and fear due to pain and the loss of family, but... the Jin people don't feel that way!"

"They are not human, they are just monsters that look like humans. Our Northern Expedition is to eliminate these monsters disguised as living people. Once we have killed all the monsters in the north, we will relocate the Song people to the north. Then, our Great Song will have restored the world!"

Officer B also enthusiastically took up the conversation: "Yes! This is about expanding the living space for the Great Song! Our Great Song has enjoyed peace for a long time, and the number of people in various places has increased. We can't support so many people with only half of the country... That's why we need to launch a northern expedition, and we need to use the Great Song's sword to obtain land for the Great Song's plow!"

"Besides, even if the Jin people have thoughts and feelings like us, should we let them go?"

Officer C spoke meaningfully, "The opportunity to fight the Northern Expedition is rare. If we miss it now, we might never see it again... Think about your dreams of achieving great things. Don't you want to rise in power and become wealthy, to escape the poverty and humbleness of your ancestors and become a superior person?"

[As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent...]

[Perhaps the words of the first two officers were not enough to convince the crowd, but the words of the third officer were like a sharp knife that pierced everyone's soft spot.]

[Getting promoted, getting rich, and becoming the best! Who doesn’t dream of this?]

[And to realize this dream, all you need to do now is chop off the heads of the Jin people. The Jin people have nothing to do with us anyway, so isn't it normal to use their heads to exchange for military merit? Is there anything strange about a feudal army borrowing the heads of its fellow villagers?]

[After realizing this, everyone's gaze gradually became more determined...]

"Hmm! I think what Captain Zhang said makes a lot of sense. The Jin people are all brainless monsters. They have no mind at all. They are just a bunch of confused beasts!"

"I think so too! But I think the Jin people might not be completely insane, but are deliberately disguising themselves as Song people to deceive them. Once they are deceived, they will shed their human skins, howl, and rush forward to kill them..."

[“Hiss… These inherently evil Jin imps! Once we capture the city, I will personally…”]

【“…”】

For a while, the army was filled with curses against the "innately evil Jin imps." Sometimes they were accused of deliberately luring the Song people to their deaths, and sometimes they were called brainless NPC monsters, only good for giving everyone experience...

As you listen to these solemn words, a heavy weight falls on your heart: of course, no one truly believes these outrageous claims, but rather, driven by self-interest, they deliberately speak in this way to ease their inner unease.

As Officer C said, whether the Jin people are mentally competent or not is unimportant. What matters is that their brains can really help everyone get promoted and make a fortune!

[In short, everyone is trying to convince themselves that there is no evidence...]

[And you... you can't do anything, and you don't know what you should do. Now that the army has already marched north, your personal wishes are no longer important.]

【…】

[In the 215th year of Shaoxing, the Song army conquered the Jin Kingdom's Xinye City!]

[That day, they slaughtered them! Over ten thousand people died, their bodies piled up side by side!]

【…】

(End of this chapter)